Today I'm leaving the Democratic party. I've been a Democrat since

[Mountainman]

before I was drafted at 19 years of age. I am now almost 60. I spent most of the 1960's fighting for the rights of Americans in the streets of this country and in Vietnam.

Most of the Democrats will do nothing to insure a fair election, they will do what is politically expedient rather than stand for any real principals, they will do nothing to stop the MSM from being a propaganda tool of the right. These things must change if we are ever to get back to any kind of peace and social justice.

I don't know if I will register as Green or as an Independent. But my move is a statement I feel I must make.

This country has gone too far right for us to not become more radical. We have very little else to lose. I think a lot more of us should leave the party. We can still vote any way we want to but as a protest we should leave the Democratic party. I am going to re-register today.

Here is the information for Kern County, CA

WHO CAN REGISTER TO VOTE IN CALIFORNIA?

Anyone can register to vote if the person:

1. Is a citizen of the United States
2. Is a resident of California
3. Is not in prison or on parole for a felony conviction
4. Will be 18 years old by the next election.


WHERE DO I REGISTER?

Registration forms for voters are available in several places throughout Kern County such as in Fire Stations, Postal Offices, DMV, and Public Libraries or you may request one by mail by contacting
the Kern County Elections Office at:
[phone] or 1-800-452-8683 Fax # [phone] .


WHEN IS IT NECESSARY TO REGISTER AGAIN?

1. When you change your address
2. When you change your name
3. Whenever you want to change your political party

[benburch]

1. Please. It is "Democratic Party", not "Democrat Party"

"Democrat Party" was newspeak from Newt Gingrich chosen to make the Democratic Party sound less appealing.

[Mountainman]

10. I edited my post to Democratic Party, thanks

[Jeffersons Ghost]

33. seems like you'd have already known it is Democratic Party

I've only been an official member for a few months and I knew it was DEMOCRATIC.

Anyhow, you can tell the ship is sinking when all the rats start to leave...

I will batten down th fucking hatches, damn the torpedoes and go down with the ship if it is indeed sinking and I'm only a newby with the FINEST PARTY IN AMERICA! It's the ONLY party in America that has a chance of unseating repukes.

[mzmolly]

2. Can you explain HOW we can accomplish the goals you note if we're

not in office?

Democrats are working on clean elections see www.verifiedvoting.org and both Dean and Kerry said they'd break up the media monopoly's if they were "elected."

I understand being discouraged, but I don't understand giving the Republicans MORE power by voting third party. That hasn't worked well for us in the past has it?

[Yollam]

7. Electing democrats hasn't worked so great lately either.

Remember the euphoria after Landrieu and Obama were elected? But look what they turned out to be...

[mzmolly]

14. They are not in POWER. They are at the mercy of Republicans.

As for Obama, I think he's doing a fine job overall. And, I'll wait to fully judge Landrieu as she has a mess to deal with in N.O.

We can't expect 3 Greens to effect change either can we? What we need is the house/congress or the Presidency and fleeing the party :crying: is not going to do a damn thing but dig our hole deeper.

[Yollam]

20. A couple of years ago, I thought like you...

...but I don't have an infinite capacity for putting up with being stabbed in the back.

More power to you in your efforts, but I'm done.

[mzmolly]

46. "stabbed in the back"

It takes an understanding of Government to figure out that your being stabbed by a mob of Republicans and a handfull of Democrats are watching with their hands tied.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. I understand procedure but that is an excuse

and monday proved it.. I am with the OP...

[calico1]

21. Why is it some people can't see the obvious?

We demand that the Dems accomplish things like they are in control of everything. Why is it so hard for people to understand we can't do much of anything until we are in control? Once that happens I am willing to work to throw some of the disappointing ones out. But I do not want to keep seeing the anti-Repbublican vote split election after election. This KEEPS THE GOP IN POWER! If the vote hadn't been split in 2000 Gore would have been in. He would have won by too much to steal the election. We wouldn't be here worrying over Scalito and Roberts because neither would have been nominated. We would not be fighting a pointless war in Iraq. And so many other things would be different. But no.....people want to leave the party and vote a vote of "conscience" for a candidate that cannot win but that CAN AND WILL help to keep these crooks in power. I just don't get the logic behind that thought process!

[mzmolly]

45. Exactly.

I'm beginning to think we need a "yawn" smiley?

:hi:

[Yollam]

48. I don't think we expect them to accomplish, or win.

What we do expect is that they will be UNITED, whether against the IWR or Alito, and that has not been happening. The repugs, whether in the minority or the majority almost always vote as a bloc, but it seems that there are always at least a third of democrats who defect and vote with the traitors.

We're not idiots, we understand being a minority. It's a lot harder to understand dems who could ACTIVELY SUPPORT a completely fraudulent war, wiretaps, shredding the constitution, etc. etc. etc.

[mkultra]

3. I understand your reasons

and agree with them frankly.

Fact is though that the party isnt going to do any better until we start putting up better presidental candidates.

Im sorry but Kerry was not the one.

The only way we can effect this is to continue to vote in the primaries and fix our election process by eleminating the super delaget crap.


You cant do that from another party.

[meegbear]

4. Bye!

have fun! :hi: Don't forget to close you account here.

[JeffR]

5. "These things must change"

You nailed that. But they have to change from the grass-roots. Can't overthrow the Establishment of the Democratic Party without working from within, IMO.

[calico1]

6. DemocratIC Party n/t

[MrBenchley]

8. Ta ta....

Anybody think this guy is going anywhere? Me neither.

[Plausible]

9. Discouraged lately, too, but

why not work to take the party back to its roots.

How can we ever have any party truly represent us when they have to go to the same troughs for campaign money?

[sandnsea]

11. Bye bye gloom and doomer

See ya!

:hi:

[havocmom]

12. No surprised in the least

just as a casual observer

[undergroundpanther]

13. I feel like being none of the above

and hanging a black flag.

Sigh.

I aknowlege some dems that did some good and spoke out despitre this coup. Kuchinich,Sharpton.and a few others. Barbara Mikulski and Sarbanes my state senators didn't support Benito Alito.I am proud of that.

But the dem party just is not toothy enough bold ,pandering to reelection,centrists and"comprimising" with fascists has made them pathetic.

Oh How I wish they'd be willing to throw it all away to save the day.

But no they can't risk losing the perlks and privleges of power for themselves for the likes of us citizens.

Vertical social stratification was one of humankinds biggest failures.

[Dhalgren]

15. I understand completely how you feel.

Good luck to you and keep fighting for America. America needs us all right now, and your continued service is appreciated.

You don't have to be a registered Democrat to be on this board, so I hope we continue to hear from you. This is a time when our country needs all of its citizens to fight the fascists - I don't care what party you belong to...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. I totally agree, but I am going to wait and see who our candidate

is first. I do believe with the right candidate, someone with heart and guts and can speak clearly and honestly, AND who will stand strong to end this illegal war, that person can whip all the rest of them into shape.

[William769]

17. Oy vey.

[Debau2005]

18. Quitting is never the answer.

This quote from RFK sums it up for me, taken from http://www.jfklibrary.org/r060666.htm:

"the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills--against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence. Yet many of the world's greatest movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant Reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and the thirty-two-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal.

"Give me a place to stand," said Archimedes, "and I will move the world." These men moved the world, and so can we all. Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. Thousands of Peace Corps volunteers are making a difference in isolated villages and city slums in dozens of countries. Thousands of unknown men and women in Europe resisted the occupation of the Nazis and many died, but all added to the ultimate strength and freedom of their countries. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

"If Athens shall appear great to you," said Pericles, "consider then that her glories were purchased by valiant men, and by men who learned their duty." That is the source of all greatness in all societies, and it is the key to progress in our time.



Day of Affirmation Address
Robert F. Kennedy
University of Capetown
Capetown, South Africa
June 6, 1966

[BillZBubb]

19. It's not an unreasonable symbolic gesture.

I'm certainly going through the same re-evaluation as you. I really don't know what it means to be a Democrat anymore. After the IWR, Bankruptcy bill, CAFTA, Roberts, Patriot Act, the four Appeals Court judges appointed by the appeaser "compromise", stolen elections without a massive Democratic party outcry, and now Alito. Our party is getting a lot of money from the same corporate puppetmasters as the Repugs as well. We are badly divided and the fault line may rip open soon.

I've always felt that ANY Democrat was a better choice than ANY Repub. A lot of recent events make me seriously question that absolute position. I want a true progressive agenda.

[katinmn]

27. as an independent you can vote for progressive Dems

Greens, and others based on issues, not for a party.

If the party doesn't support their interests, why in the world would people remain loyal?

[Neil Lisst]

22. Don't go away mad, just go away.

I'm so sick of the drama queens who have to make their statement about why they're leaving the Democratic party.

What do you want? Mommy to put a bandaid on your bobo?

Either pitch in and fight the good fight or get the fuck out.

[katinmn]

29. America: Love it or leave it

:eyes:

[MrBenchley]

35. Hello, I must be going

I cannot stay
I came to say
I must be going

I'll stay a week or two
I'll stay the summer through
But I am warning you
I must be going....

This isn't love it or leave it...he's threatening to hit the bricks himself. And good riddance, far as I can see.

[Neil Lisst]

40. Thank you. When one announces he's leaving ...

... he's not being ousted, just asked to not stand there in the door, letting the flies in.

[MrBenchley]

47. You will notice that so few of them ever really go.....

[Neil Lisst]

39. Your analogy is inapplicable

try again, maybe you'll say something that is appropriate

[AZBlue]

43. Yeah, I don't get it either.

Why the good-bye post? Why are they still here? And what I really don't get: the ones who agree with these posts, saying that they've already left. LOL - no, if you're posting, you're still here. And if you've left the party, then why are you on DemocraticUnderground?? :shrug:

[MuseRider]

23. As of yesterday afternoon

I am unaffiliated. In Kansas you can be a Dem, a Repub, a Libertarian, a Reform party or Unaffiliated.

It killed me to do it.

My reasons

1. They called for money and never ever listened when I tried to tell them why I was not sending it. Nothing changed, they still called for years and years.

2. I wrote letters and never saw a direct response from any of them or their offices. Just more calls for money.

3. If I can't change anything from the inside perhaps by becoming one of those not of the party I can change something that way. Lord knows I have tried to do it from inside for years.

This way I can still vote Dem, I can still work for the ones I want to support and maybe, just maybe someone will want to know why I left. When the Democrats return as a party to the ideals they used to have I will return to the party. Until then I will work from the outside. If that does not work then I will look for alternatives. I gave them 30 years and I don't like a lot of what I am seeing so here I go to see if it works the other way.

For those who want to wave bye bye, don't bother. I am not going anywhere. I am a Democrat at heart who will stand by those that stand by what the party has always said it was. As long as you do not have to be a registered Democrat to post on DU I am not going anywhere.

Good luck to you.

[Kingofalldems]

24. It has been my observation that no loyal party member uses

the term 'Democrat party'------ever. Sorry but it sounds to me like you have used that expression before.

[clitzpah queen]

25. Without a popular movement that's growing and developing a voice

out there in the community that does NOT cowtow to Big Business, Overpaid and Unprincipled Lobbyists and Pundits -- the Democrats will always veer to the Right. Please stick around DU and remind folks here that it's Democratic UNDERGROUND (as in railroad, as in resistance) not Democratic HACKDOM.
Besides, registering with another party does not mean never to
VOTE Democrat again. (Although it DOES mean no Primary voting).

[BrotherBuzz]

26. California has a modified closed primary - keep your options open

and register "Decline to State" - sit on the fence for awhile and see where your vote can do the best good - or damage if the case arises. What district are you in?

Modified Closed Primary System

California currently has a "modified" closed primary system. SB 28 (Ch. 898, Stats. 2000), relating to primary elections, was chaptered on September 29, 2000 and took effect on January 1, 2001. SB 28 implemented a "modified" closed primary system that permits unaffiliated ("decline to state") voters to participate in a primary election if authorized by an individual party's rules and duly noticed by the Secretary of State.
(Ch. 898, Stats. 2000)




"Decline to State" Voters - Voting in the Upcoming Primary

If you are a voter who has declined to state an affiliation with a political party, you may be able to vote for a candidate of a specific party in the upcoming June 6, 2006 Primary Election. You may request, from your county elections official or at your polling place, the ballot of a political party if authorized by the party's rules and duly noticed by the Secretary of State.

If you do not request such a ballot, you will be given a nonpartisan ballot, containing only the names of all candidates for nonpartisan offices and measures to be voted upon at the primary election.

[stray cat]

28. You could register republican and try to change that party

[Contrary1]

30. I don't equate leaving the Democratic party with quitting.

I would think that if enough Democrats did the same, it might send a loud
enough message to be heard by those who we voted into office to do what
they were sent to do...represent us.

I would do so myself, except I am already registered under a different party.

[Double T]

31. I think we ALL feel like giving up from time to time; specially when.....

All branches of this government are controlled and in the hands of the NEOCONS. The NEOCONs want to divide, conquer and suppress and this is exactly what will happen if we ALL start going off in different directions with different political parties. It is very important to hold this 'Democratic Party' together and each person needs to remain true to their own causes and beliefs while maintaining a unified opposition to the republican fundamentalist neo-conservative stronghold.

[Kingofalldems]

32. BTW, this is Democratic Underground

By and for Democrats, so I guess you will be leaving us also. So, bye now.

[jonnyblitz]

38. btw its democratIC underground. NOT democrat underground

you will completely FREAK people out with that misspelling. (:rofl:) see posts #1 and #6 in this thread. just sayin...

[Beacho]

34. I only have one question

Have youy ever showed up to your local caucus? Have you ever voted or motioned to make any kind of change on the local level?

If the answer is no, then you're just a consumer/spectator waiting for what you want to come to you.

Get you head in the game, man

[nadinbrzezinski]

52. Yes and it idid a hells of beans difference

[John Q. Citizen]

36. We got a majority of the Sen. Democrats to attempt to filibuster.

It was 24 to filibuster to 19 to roll over. So we are in the majority in the party.

I also support running viable candidates against switch vote Democrats in the primaries, and to do that one needs to be a member of the party in most states, to vote or to run in the primary.

Personally, I find my home state switch vote Senator to be an embarrassment to the party, and for a whole lot of reasons not just connected to voting for cloture. Our party would be stronger and more believable in my state if we were to vote out this Senator in the primaries and run a solid Dem in the general. He's not up until '08, he's a long timer who brings home the pork and crosses often to vote for the worst of the Repo crap, like prescription drugs, bankruptcy bill, etc. He put his finger to the wind and eventually came out against screwing social security, though, so he can do polling.

In the end, if you gotta go you gotta go. But people without parties are the most powerless of all. You may be able to effect the debate, but you will never effect legislation and policy. In a two party system, third parties are relegated to "moral authority" but no real political power.

I like a lot of my state Dems pretty well, we got a couple good guys running to take back Burns (R MT) seat in 06, and I wouldn't want to miss that.

I am often plenty pissed off at people in my party, but i don't blame the thousands of people around the country who attend their local Democratic Steering Committee meetings because of what they come up with. I blame the people who don't bother with their steering Committee meeting for the state of the Demo party.

[MuseRider]

44. Look how hard we had to work to get them to do it!

It should not be that we have to kill ourselves to get them to do what they were elected to do. I am thrilled with those that did but COME ON! It was do or die for us, we did it but we shouldn't have to do that all the time.

They were elected to uphold certain Democratic principles and damn, this was a no brainer. We should at least be able to count on them when the stakes are as high as they were this week but we had to drive them crazy to get them to do it. How does that even make sense?

[A Simple Game]

37. You should register as independent.

The unaffiliated voters are as liberal as the Democrats if not more so. We need to make the unaffiliated voters become left of the Democrats. Polls show that they may already be more liberal than the Democrats.

Republicans know that most Republicans vote for their party, Democrats know most Democrats vote for their party.

The independent voter is the prize sought by Democrats and Republicans. The Republicans will not move to the left to gain their votes, they will only appear to move to the left. The Democrats will after a while see that they have to move to the left for the independent vote.

[BrotherBuzz]

42. In California, it's classified as 'Decline to State'

there is an American Independent Party and joining that would close your options in the primaries. Otherwise, I agree. :)

[jarab]

41. Many of us feel like surrendering at times ...

and this is obviously one of those times.
However, I see no remedy for the ailments of the Democratic Party which might be realized by joining an even smaller minority party.

We need to elect better Democrats. Just saying you're a Democratic candidate isn't good enough any longer. Perhaps we've failed in the primary process while focusing upon the general elections. We have too many DINOs for starters. And, one would certainly have to have that "D" to select better candidates.

IMO, we allowed the other party to get a decade head-start on us, and now we expect a sudden reversal of fortunes.
I suspect that our hope is in the House of Reps. The Senate is too far removed from the electorate. The seat owners are too entrenched. The effort to unseat is too expensive, and the staggered terms aren't advantageous for the purposes of quick change.
I won't be able to beat Hal Rogers (KY-5), but others will be able to do so with their congressmen.

I disagree with surrender, or whichever term one wants to use. There are but two parties, regardless of the claims otherwise.
The only choice is to fight as a Democrat. There are no moral victories when cornered, as we are.
If you leave the Democratic Party, that's one vote we won't have. You cannot convince me that the loss of a vote on our side is not a gain for the other.
Work for the House to save the Constitution - even if we never have the Executive power again.

...O...

[MrPrax]

49. Understandable...

It might be a preferred strategy to simply let the democrats comeback to you.

The behavior of the party in the last two weeks is reprehensible. It's fine to move to the 'center' and look moderate, but the ONLY thing accomplished by doing this, is to make democratic supporters have another look at McCain, your next president.

It sure would have been nice if the democrats had groomed someone for '08 as carefully as McCain's handlers have done.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. Remember as an Indie yuo can vote in the

primaries as well... I will be doing the same after the prinmries fi there is a challenger to DiFi, well before that if there is none

[Skinner]

53. Locking

I was going to let this thread stay when you were just venting about leaving the Democrat -- er, Democratic -- Party. But now that you have edited your post to include instructions for registering third party, I would consider this to be a rule violation and I've gotta shut it down.